Pray More Novenas Blog

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Novenas have been a popular devotion among Catholics for centuries. They are a powerful way to pray in your daily life – most of the prayers take just a few minutes a day. 

Though many novenas include a recommended start date, you can choose to pray a novena whenever you would like or need. 

Here are a few instances you might think to pray a novena: 

1. In preparation for a sacrament, holiday, or special occasion

You can pray a Novena of Preparation in the nine days leading up to a major feast day, a holiday, an anniversary, or the reception of a sacrament like First Communion. These types of novenas can help you prepare–both mentally and spiritually–to more fully receive God’s grace on these joyful days. 

2. For a loved one

Prayer is the best gift you can give your family, friends, and loved ones. You can offer a novena for a particular relationship in your life, for a loved one’s specific intention, or for someone you know who has passed. You could also include a novena in your gift of a spiritual bouquet. 

3. For a specific intention 

When you find yourself facing challenging circumstances, a difficult situation, or a specific need, you can take it to the Lord by praying a novena. There are novenas for almost any intention you might have, like when you need clarity for a situation or when you are preparing to take  exams. 

Over time, the Church has come to entrust certain petitions to particular saints like couples facing fertility issues, people suffering with illness, or those dealing with financial hardship, and you can ask for a saint’s intercessory prayer through a novena. 

4. As an act of devotion to a title of Jesus, Mary, or a specific saint

You can also pray a novena when you want to honor Jesus or Mary, or to show devotion to one of the saints. In this case, the novena is most often said in the nine days leading up to the saints’ feast day, but it doesn’t have to be – you can pray one at anytime.

Praying a novena can offer you a unique way to meditate on the life of a holy man or woman, or on a specific image, title, devotion or quality of Jesus and Mary like the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.

5. As a sign of Thanksgiving 

Turning to God with our petitions is often much easier than turning to Him in thanksgiving. However, in the Gospel of Luke Jesus praised the one leper who returned to give thanks after he was healed. You can offer any novena as an act of thanksgiving but you can also offer this Novena of Gratitude. 

Visit our list of novenas to find the novena right for you!

When you pick one, don’t forget to sign up for it so you receive the daily prayers sent straight to your inbox. 

Have a special intention you need prayers for? Pray a novena to one (or more) of these saints with a feast day this month. 

The Holy Family Novena

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family. During the next 28 days, the Church invites us to meditate on the perfect example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and to seek to emulate them in our domestic church. 

This novena offers a beautiful reflection on the Holy Family for you to pray with anytime during this month. 

The St. Scholastica Novena

Saint Scholastica was the twin sister of Saint Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism. She founded a religious community of women not far from her brother’s monastery. 

Despite their cloistered lives, the two remained close. When Scholastica died, Benedict had a vision of her soul ascending to heaven. 

The novena to St. Scholastica begins on February 1st. 

Our Lady of Lourdes Novena

In 1858, Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France. She told Bernadette to dig in the mud near the apparition site, revealing a miraculous spring and later asked her to build a church at the grotto.

Today, millions of people around the world visit the shrine and bathe in the healing waters of Lourdes. 

You can pray to Our Lady of Lourdes for both bodily and spiritual healing, or for any intention with this novena beginning February 2nd. 

The St. Peter Damian Novena

After a childhood in poverty and years of schooling, Saint Peter Damian became a Benedictine monk. As an Abbot he began five other monasteries and was eventually named the Cardinal-bishop of Ostia.

Peter Damian wrote on the duties of monks and priests, fought against the evils of simony, and faithfully assisted several popes to settle difficulties within the Church. The Church named him one of the Doctor of the Church for his contributions to the Body of Christ. 

The novena to St. Peter Damian begins February 12.

The St. Polycarp Novena

Saint Polycarp, a disciple of John the Apostle, played a significant role in the early Church and was just recently named a Doctor of the Church. He helped the faithful navigate disagreements in the early Church as well as combat heresies that began to emerge with Christ-like love and patience.

St. Polycarp followed Christ even to death as a martyr. Celebrate the feast day of one of the Apostolic Fathers by praying this novena beginning February 16. 

The St. Katherine Drexel Novena

Saint Katherine Drexel became the second canonized American-born citizen. Katherine was born in Philadelphia, PA. After giving up her wealth to become a nun.

Katherine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament that established schools and served Native American and black communities in need. She is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists. 

With her feast day on March 3, begin the St. Katherine Drexel Novena on February 22. 

The Saints Perpetua and Felicity Novena 

Saints Perpetua and Felicity died together as martyrs for the faith during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Severus in Africa. Both women were mothers and faced their execution with peace and joy. 

They are the patron saints of mothers, expectant mothers, widows, butchers, and ranchers. You can pray for them to any intention with this novena beginning on February 26. 

The St. John of God Novena

Inspired by St. John of Avila, St. John of God devoted his life to God and to the care of the poor and sick. 

He founded a religious order, the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, and opened a hospital, where he and his brothers personally tended to the needs of their patients. 

Offer this novena to St. John of God for any of your intentions beginning February 27th.

Thank you for praying the St. Michael the Archangel Novena with us!

If you’ve had any of your prayers answered throughout this novena, you can share those with us all below.

We’re praying for you!

We start praying the St. Michael the Archangel Novena on Thursday, January 26th. You can share your prayer intentions with us all below! We’re praying for you!

Thank you for praying the St. Peregrine Novena with us!

If you’ve had any of your prayers answered throughout this novena, you can share those with us all below.

We’re praying for you!

We start praying the St. Peregrine Novena for Cancer Patients on Monday, January 9th. You can share your prayer intentions with us all below! We’re praying for you!

No problem is too big or too small to bring to the Lord in prayer. He wants to bring you wholeness and healing, and He tenderly receives the prayers of the faithful and His holy saints.

From sore throats to cancer to mental illness, there’s a saint for that. 

These ten saints will pray for your healing from many common ailments. 

Saint Dymphna

Saint Dymphna was born in Ireland to a pagan father and devout Christian mother. Her father’s mental stability declined rapidly after her mother’s death and demanded that Dymphna marry him. 

Saint Dymphna fled to what is now Belgium where she started a hospital for the poor but was later discovered by her father who killed her. Because of her care for the sick and the events leading up to martyrdom, Dymphna is considered the patron saint of those suffering nervous and mental afflictions. 

The intercession of Saint Dymphna has brought comfort to people struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional distress. 

Saint Peregrine

Saint Peregrine, an Italian Servite priest, known for his ability as a confessor and his miraculous healing. 

When Peregrine became afflicted with cancer in the leg, amputation seemed to be the only solution; however, after spending the night before his surgery in prayer, the doctor found that Peregrine had been completely healed. For this reason, Saint Peregrine is a wonderful intercessor for people battling cancer.

Saint Maximillian Kolbe

Saint Maximillian Kolbe is arguably the most well-known saint to come out of the Nazi Concentration Camps. Kolbe, a Polish Francsican priest, became a martyr when imprisoned in Auschwitz. He courageously offered his life in place of another man sentenced to die by starvation. 

However, Kolbe didn’t die by starvation; rather, after 14 days without food or water, the SS guards killed him by lethal injection. 

Because of the process of his martyrdom, the Church entrusts him with those struggling with eating disorders and drug addiction.

Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy was an Early Christian Virgin and Martyr. She was persecuted for her faith and for dedicating her virginity to the Lord. Before her death, her eyes were plucked out but legend holds that her eyes were miraculously restored when her body was being prepared for burial. 

For centuries, people have turned to Saint Lucy for healing from blindness or other eye afflictions. 

Saint Agatha

Similarly to Saint Lucy, Saint Agatha is another Early Christian Virgin Martyr. Saint Agatha upheld her vow of virginity despite persecution, torture, and the threat of death. She endured each act against her with joy and trust in the Lord. 

Saint Agatha is the patroness for those suffering from breast cancer. 

Saint Blaise

The Church knows very little about Saint Blaise. It is believed that he worked as a physician before becoming a priest and bishop, where he continued his work of healing–both of the body and the soul. 

He is the patron saint of throat illnesses and on the feast of Saint Blaise, you can participate in a special blessing of the throats. 

Saint Teresa of Avila 

Saint Teresa of Avila, Carmelite mystic and one of the four female Doctors of the Church. For many years, Teresa experienced frequent and intense headaches and chronic migraines.  She offered up her suffering to God. 

Today, people who suffer headaches and migraines can ask Saint Teresa for prayers of healing. 

Saint Stanislaus Kostka

When Saint Stanislaus Kostka was 14 years old, he went to study with his brother at the Jesuit College in Vienna. His brother, spurred by jealousy, beat Stanislaus, breaking his bones. The Blessed Mother healed him and told him to become a Jesuit. 

The story about this holy young man is why many call upon Saint Stanislaus Kostka for healing when they’ve broken a bone. 

Saint Timothy

Saint Timothy was a disciple and close friend of St. Paul. He traveled with Paul spreading the Good News and was later martyred for his witness to the faith. 

During his travels, Timothy probably experienced regular bouts of illness for which Saint Paul recommends wine: “Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim 5:23). 

For this reason, the Church considers him the patron saint of stomach and intestinal disorders, so if you or someone you know suffers from a stomach ailment, call on Saint Timothy for prayers. 

Saint Luke

Before writing his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke was a physician so it is fitting that he serves as a patron to doctors and surgeons. 

If you are preparing for a major medical procedure or surgery of any kind, you can ask Saint Luke for the hands of those who will work to bring you healing. 

Kick the New Year off right by praying a novena! 

January brings with it the celebration of several holy men and women who can pray for all of the intentions you bring into this new year. 

Ask for their prayers with one or more of these novenas. And don’t forget to sign up for the daily prayers sent straight to your email so you never miss a day. 

Saint Hilary Novena

Saint Hilary, a Bishop of Poitiers, courageously defended the faith during the spread of the Arain hersey. The Church named him a Doctor of the Church for the contributions he made to theology and Church doctrine through his writings. 

Begin the novena to Saint Hilary on January 5th.

Day of Prayer for Unborn

In the United States, January 22 marks the Day of Prayer for the Unborn, as we remember specifically all of the lives lost by abortion. 

While Roe v. Wade was recently overturned by the Supreme Court, the evil of Abortion still exists both in America and in the world. Pray for an end to abortion and/or for all those who will attend the March for Life. Begin these novenas on January 14. 

Saint Timothy Novena

Saint Timothy was a companion of Saint Paul in the early Church. He traveled with Paul and Silas to help spread the Gospel and eventually remained in Ephesus as the Bishop. Not much is known about his death, but tradition holds he died a martyr. 

Many believe he suffered from stomach ailments and for this reason, people often call on his prayers for healing. Whether you need healing or prayers from a courageous saint, you can pray the Saint Timothy Novena, which begins on January 18th. 

Saint Angela Merici Novena

Saint Angela Merici founded the Ursuline religious order, the first teaching order of women in the Church; she and her sisters devoted themselves to the religious education of young girls. This order still serves in over 30 countries. 

The novena to Saint Angela Merici begins January 19th. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas Novena

Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican priest and Doctor of the Church, wrote prolifically on philosophy, theology, and Church doctrine. His writings have played a major role in the development of Catholic teaching.

Because Aquinas is one of the greatest teachers of the Catholic faith, he is the patron saint of Catholic schools, colleges, and universities, as well as theologians, philosophers, students, and booksellers.

Begin the novena to Saint Thomas Aquinas on January 20th.

Saint Blaise Novena

The tradition of praying to Saint Blaise to help heal throat ailments goes back to the 6th Century. While not much is known about Blaise, many believe he was a physician who eventually became a bishop–dedicating his life to healing, both body and soul. 

Today, many churches around the world offer a special blessing of the throats on the feast of Saint Blaise. Pray this novena to Saint Blaise on January 26th.

Saint Agatha Novena

Saint Agatha is one of the seven women saints named in the Canon of the Mass. Early in her life, Saint Agatha dedicated herself to God and desired to remain a virgin. Although she faced torture and even death. Saint Agatha did not abandon her promise to God. She died a martyr. 

Because of the abuse she faced, she is the patroness of rape victims and survivors, and those who suffer from breast cancer. 

The novena to Saint Agatha begins January 28th.

Saint Paul Miki Novena

We remember Saint Paul Miki, a Japanese Jesuit, and his companions for their courageous proclamations of the faith even in the face of persecution. Saint Paul Miki became a martyr alongside his companions, becoming the first martyrs of Japan. 

Ask for this holy man’s intercession with the Saint Paul Miki Novena beginning January 29.

Saint Josephine Bakhita Novena

Saint Josephine Bakhita suffered many injustices during the years she was enslaved. Her owner brought her to Italy where she worked as a babysitter for his children and it was there that she encountered the Canossian Sisters.

From these sisters, Josephine came to the Church and gained her freedom. She then joined the Canossian Sisters and served God through her work. Pray to Saint Josephine Bakhita with this novena beginning January 31st.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We would really love to mail a Christmas card out to you and everyone else who is praying with us — you mean so much to us, but with so many people, it’s just not possible. Instead, we’re sharing our card with you here!

We hope that the Lord will bless you and keep you in this new year.

Here’s our card :)

We hope you’ve had a very Merry Christmas and that you feel God’s loving presence close to you — He is always near and you are never alone.

We are looking forward to praying the next novena with you. Thank you for joining us in prayer and praying for the other members of Pray More Novenas. We are so grateful for you!

God Bless you!
John-Paul & Annie

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Thank you for praying the Christmas Novena with us! If you had any of your prayers answered throughout this novena, you can share those with us all below!

We’re praying for you this Christmas!